Terms of Endearment
"Terms of Endearment" is a poignant film that explores the complex dynamics of a single mother, Aurora Greenway, played by Shirley MacLaine, and her daughter, Emma, portrayed by Debra Winger. The film intricately navigates themes of love, aging, and familial responsibility, highlighting the tensions that can arise in a single-parent household. As Aurora grapples with her disapproval of Emma's choices, particularly her marriage to Flap Horton, the story delves into their evolving relationship, culminating in a heart-wrenching farewell as Emma battles cancer. Alongside this mother-daughter narrative, the film introduces Garrett Breedlove, a charming yet troubled former astronaut, played by Jack Nicholson, who develops a romantic relationship with Aurora despite societal norms regarding older actresses in leading roles.
"Terms of Endearment" received critical acclaim upon its release in 1983, winning several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for MacLaine, and marking James L. Brooks's successful directorial debut. The film's emotional depth and representation of older characters in romantic situations resonated with audiences, making it a significant cultural touchstone. Additionally, the film's exploration of parental love and loss, particularly through the lens of a young mother's struggle, adds to its lasting impact. A sequel, "The Evening Star," continues Aurora's story, emphasizing the film's enduring legacy in American cinema.
Terms of Endearment
Identification American film
Director James L. Brooks
Date Released November 23, 1983
Successfully mixing sentiment and humor, the film provided a showcase for the principal actors and a mirror reflecting many of the preoccupations of the decade.
Key Figures
James L. Brooks (1940- ), film director
Terms of Endearment traces the life of a single mother, Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine ), as she raises her daughter Emma (Debra Winger), fights with her over her marriage (she hates her future son-in-law Flap Horton, played by Jeff Daniels) and her pregnancies (she has to face up to aging when she becomes a grandmother), and finally reconciles with her as Emma succumbs to cancer (she must assume the responsibility for raising her three grandchildren). It is a relationship that does not gloss over the tensions of a single-parent household.
Living next door is womanizer Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson ), a former astronaut who gradually has to face his own aging and develops a relationship with Aurora despite her age and the fact that she becomes a grandmother—twice. American movies had been reluctant to portray romantic situations involving older actresses, and MacLaine established the first of her feisty older women roles in this film, a trademark she continued to exploit. The emotional centerpiece of the film is the series of scenes showing the gradual deterioration of Emma as she fights her cancer. It is a sequence that culminates in the farewell scene between Emma and her two young sons and little daughter. Winger was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, and although she did not win, her performance in these scenes was undoubtedly the reason the film did so well at the Academy Awards.Terms of Endearment was something of a surprise hit in 1983 when it won a significant number of Oscars. The film beat out The Big Chill, The Dresser, The Right Stuff, and Tender Mercies for Best Picture and James L. Brooks, directing his first picture, won Best Director, beating out a formidable lineup of veterans: Bruce Beresford, Mike Nichols, Peter Yates, and even Ingmar Bergman. MacLaine won Best Actress and Nicholson won Best Supporting Actor. Brooks also won for Best Adapted Screenplay from Larry McMurtry’s novel. A sequel, The Evening Star (1996), allowed MacLaine to reprise her eccentric character Aurora Greenway as she raises her grandchildren left behind when their mother died.
Impact
Terms of Endearment struck a chord with movie audiences in the early 1980’s with its depiction of romance between older characters Aurora Greenway and Garrett Breedlove, its exploration of a single-parent family, and its heartfelt rendering of the death of a young mother who must leave her children.
Bibliography
Evans, Peter William, and Celestion Deleyto, eds. Terms of Endearment: Hollywood Romantic Comedy in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998.
McMurtry, Larry. Terms of Endearment. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1975.
Speidel, Constance. “Whose Terms of Endearment?” Literature/Film Quarterly 12, no. 4 (1984): 271-273.